URBAN ISSUESBid for FBI Building Sets off Healthy Competition
San Jose Mercury News
The FBI's announcement that it needs a new home has touched off a virtual real estate beauty contest, with communities around the region jockeying for the opportunity to attract the law enforcement agency-and attendant economic benefits-to their neighborhoods.

Blogosphere - In this section you'll find commentary, opinion and editorials from blogs and newspapers around the country. The opinions expressed in these blogs do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Reconnecting America.
TRANSPORT
Blogosphere: Biz Impact of Bikes Dominates Meeting
Streetsblog
'Bikes mean business' is the official theme of this year's National Bike Summit; but that idea hardly needs any help in being put front and center...

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Blogosphere: New Volvo Tech Keeps Cyclists Safe
Grist
Those outside-the-car airbags are pretty sweet, but what if we could make cars automatically stop before they, you know, hit people?..

Blogosphere - In this section you'll find commentary, opinion and editorials from blogs and newspapers around the country. The opinions expressed in these blogs do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Reconnecting America.
TRANSPORT
Commentary: SF Must Prioritize Public Transit Funds
San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco fancies itself a transit-first city. We encourage people to give up their cars. We reduce parking...

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Blogosphere: Economic Benefits of Transit
Citizens for Modern Transit
One item should be top priority for any employer and the region: Transit. You may not ride transit, you may not know anyone who uses the bus or MetroLink;…

Blogosphere - In this section you'll find commentary, opinion and editorials from blogs and newspapers around the country. The opinions expressed in these blogs do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Reconnecting America.
TRANSPORT
Blogosphere: Transit as Urban Industry
Rebuilding Space in Urban Place
Back during the initial streetcar study in DC (DC Transit Futures), I made the point that if DC were to (re)develop streetcars to the extent discussed, then we could work to even develop streetcar manufacturing facilities...

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Blogosphere: Four of China's HSR Lines Profitable
Systemic Failure
According to a report late last year, four of the country's high-speed rail…

Blogosphere - In this section you'll find commentary, opinion and editorials from blogs and newspapers around the country. The opinions expressed in these blogs do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Reconnecting America.
TRANSPORT
Blogosphere: Why Are School Buses Yellow?
New York Times Cityroom (via @mikelydon)
A question came to mind as school bus drivers prepared to start their engines on Wednesday on 7,700 public-school routes in New York City and end their monthlong strike: Why are most school buses yellow?..

Blogosphere - In this section you'll find commentary, opinion and editorials from blogs and newspapers around the country. The opinions expressed in these blogs do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Reconnecting America.
TRANSPORT
Blogosphere: Many Roles of Lima's Informal Taxis
Next City
Becoming a taxi driver in the Peruvian capital is a multi-step process. Step one: Buy a plastic taxi sign. Step two: Place it on your dashboard. You are now driving one of the city's 230,000 taxis...

Jeff Wood, Reconnecting America's New Media Director and Chief Cartographer, collects news stories and blog posts about transit and transit-oriented development from around the country and posts them at TheDirectTransfer.com. Jeff then takes the top 10 articles in each of five categories and sends that out as Other Side of the Tracks email newsletter. The content of that email is then posted here.